E-Mobility Engineering | September/October 2023 63 manager at NASA’s Langley Research Centre in Virginia. “The demonstrations will identify and overcome technical barriers and integration risks. It will also help inform the development of standards and regulations for future EAP systems. Hydrogen-powered flights In the meantime, ZeroAvia in the UK has demonstrated its ZA600 hydrogen powertrain in flight. The company has a choice of motors from several suppliers for its test flights on a dualengined Dornier 228 19-seater aircraft. The Dornier is powered by a prototype engine that combines a fuel cell, inverter and motor that generates 500-750 kW and paves the way for certification. In 10 test flights during 2023, ZeroAvia tested different areas of performance using one fuel cell engine and one conventional. The test campaign saw the aircraft fly at 5000 ft, perform a 23-minute endurance test, operate in temperatures from just above freezing to almost 30 oC, and reach the maximum allowable speed under a Permit to Fly issued by the CAA. Critically, throughout all phases of testing, the fuel cell power generation and electric propulsion system that are the core components of the engine performed at or above expectations. The aim is to provide 300-mile range in a 9-19 seat electric aircraft by 2025, and up to 700-mile range in 40-80 seat aircraft by 2027. ZeroAvia has experimental certificates for its three prototype aircraft from the CAA in the UK and FAA in the US, and says it is on track for commercial operations in 2025. One customer, a new airline called Surcar, plans to use Twin Otter seaplanes retrofitted with the ZA600 powertrain for sightseeing tours. Conclusion Several electric aircraft projects are now flying with experimental certificates to prove the airworthiness and effectiveness of the motor technologies. They are showing the range of motor power, with multiple smaller motors at 350 kW and up to 2 MW systems for dual and even quad-engine platforms. The challenge is to certify the powertrains and associated energy supply to deliver both urban mobility applications and regional flights of up to 500 km. 700 kW peak on the test stand. “It could potentially deliver more, but we didn’t push it,” Jordanou-Bailey says. NASA is working with GE Aviation and MagniX to support its Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) to speed up the development of suitable electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) technologies through ground and flight demonstrations. The EPFD is part of NASA’s Integrated Aviation Systems Program, and aims to introduce EAP technologies to US aviation fleets no later than 2035, supporting short-range and regional commercial air travel, as well as singleaisle larger aircraft. Over 5 years, the selected companies will conduct ground and flight test demonstrations of their EAP technologies for commercial aircraft transports. They will collaborate with other NASA projects on EAP development, flight test instrumentation and data analysis. “GE Aviation and MagniX will perform integrated megawatt-class powertrain system ground and flight demonstrations to validate their concepts, and look at the benefits for future EAP aircraft configurations,” says Gaudy Bezos-O’Connor, EPFD project Electric motors for aircraft | Deep insight The Surcar hydrogen-electric seaplane has been retrofitted with ZeroAvia’s ZA600 powertrain (Courtesy of ZeroAvia)
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